Sam Ford: Matchmaker
by Zee-Zee Magee
Summary: After his parents' divorce, Sam decides to set his father up... with Sophie Devereaux. This should be easy, right?
1. Meet Sam Ford

**A/N:** _This chapter is mostly back story and paragraphs so I will give you some notes and you can choose which parts you would like to read. The next chapters will be the juicy dialogue parts. _

_CAPSLOCK is Sam emphasizing everything._

_Bold is Sam's frustration and/or sarcasm._

_No, I do not own Leverage. Could we please stop reminding me of it?_

_As I said before, feel free to skip around if paragraphs aren't your cup of tea. Dialogue just refused to say hello, but you will be missing out! :)_

Sam Ford: Matchmaker

It had been a little over six years after the divorce when Sam Ford finally decided he was ready for his parents to start dating again. Okay, so it was six years after the divorce when he got sick and tired of watching his mom date and his dad stay home all the time. Okay, so it was six years after the divorce when he got sick of his father not dating anybody… at all! If you really want to get technical, it was about three years after his parents got divorced when Sam Ford decided his father was ready to try the dating pool again. That decision might have been due to the fact that it was exactly three years, two weeks, and four days from the divorce finalization date when Sam Ford met Sophie Devereaux, Eliot Spencer, Alec Hardison, and Parker.

Sam had been very nervous about his dad's new group of friends the first time he met them. They each had their own quirks. Parker had no other name and liked to be a bit crazy but she was a lot of fun and didn't treat him like a kid, probably because she was like a kid anyway so they got along almost instantly. Hardison won Sam over the moment he started playing games with him that weren't even out yet, sure the hacker still had a sugar addiction but it was something they both learned to appreciate together. Eliot took a lot longer to like. That was probably due to the fact that the man was BUILT TO KILL! Once Eliot started teaching him how to fight people and how to make sugary goodness he was pretty much set too. Sophie was a completely different story.

First time they met: Sam thought she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen and he was going to marry her. That thought went up in smoke the moment he realized Sophie had a crush on his dad. Sophie became the enemy after that. Okay, so he might have still been a little upset over his parents not being together, but seeing somebody interested in his father other than his mother was a very surprising task. Sam had to go out of his way to make certain Sophie and his father were never in the same room without him present. Yes, he could tell that his father was interested in the brunette but she was not his mother and was not allowed to have his father. His father, on the other hand, seemed to have a different plan because any time Sam was with him and his dad needed to go somewhere Sophie was the one forced to babysit. The first time that happened ended with the brunette baking him everything he asked for, including ordering very expensive food, while he turned his nose at the food or decided he wanted something else. Sophie finally gave up and told him to choose or get nothing. Needless to say Sam was expecting a very long discussion with his father afterwards. When his father came home, Sam prepared himself for the onslaught of tattling "Devereaux," as he liked to call her then, would do. Instead, the woman just smiled at both of the Ford men and quickly explained that she couldn't decide on what food she wanted so she just got it all. That's right, the woman he was completely evil to all night long just put all of the blame on herself when she was given the opportunity to spill her guts to the man before her. Sam could respect that. He even admired that. That was the moment Sam Ford decided he liked Sophie Devereaux at least a little bit.

Eventually, Sam started to like Sophie, as he was begged to call her when "Ms. Devereaux" had slipped out the second day they spent together. He liked Sophie a lot. Okay, so he was a little in love with her but totally not as much as his dad. Sophie was cool and just as smart as his father. She would teach him art and explain cool body techniques so he could tell whenever the teachers were going to assign him a pop quiz. He was really starting to like that woman. Then, his dad and his friends suddenly stopped talking to each other for six months as if that was something they could do all the time. He heard a lot of "dammit Sophie" and "why couldn't she just think?" and "what am I supposed to wear?" and "should I really subject Sam to this?" Eventually Sam realized what he was being subjected to when he went to see one of Sophie's plays for the first time. That was when Sam knew his father was definitely in love with her. How, you ask. Sophie is the worst actress ever! That's how Sam Ford knew his father was in love with her.

Sam was busy trying to stay awake, made easier whenever Sophie made the mistake of singing high because she could actually sing the occasional low note that wasn't always in the song. Anyway, Sam was busy trying to keep his eyes open when his attention was grabbed by the hitter next to him. Eliot was apparently terrified of Sophie's acting because he was very jumpy and twitchy and freaking out at anything that moved. Parker was too enthused to be believed. Okay, so she wasn't paying attention to the musical at all because she was too busy counting the number of nuns she saw in the musical when they missed their cues. Hardison was playing on his phone which was totally rude and something Sam would have loved to be doing. Nathan Ford on the other hand… was smiling. Yeah, he was smiling… like an idiot… who just discovered how to make fire! That was when Sam Ford knew his father was completely enamored with Sophie Devereaux. That was the day Operation Cobra had finally been born.

It took some work but Operation Cobra was finally underway when Sophie's play was informed that it was never to play again. It was for the best but that wasn't the important part. The important part was when Sophie's moping forced her to not realize Sam's brilliant plan. That's right, he pushed her into his chair right beside the mastermind with the obvious intent to console her with a cup of hot cocoa. His father was stuck comforting the poor woman while Sam worked out the rest of his plan. The rest of his plan failed the moment the others entered the room and suggested drinks in the bar which Sam was not allowed to participate in due to the fact that he couldn't drink no matter how hard he tried to steal some. Plan B was a little easier, until the **boyfriend **showed up.

**A/N II:** _Hey, you made it through the wall of text. What do you think?_


	2. Plan B: Get Rid of Boyfriend

It started out pretty simple:

"Sophie," Sam began in his father's apartment with a gentle smile, "Dad and I were about to eat dinner downstairs."

"Oh," Sophie sighed at the news, "Well, I guess I can come back at another time."

"Don't worry about it," Sam waved off carefully as he fought the cunning smile trying to take over his lips, "Dad's already downstairs and I need an adult to get me in any way! You can talk to him while we're waiting for our food!"

"You're not allowed in a bar," Sophie pointed out with a raised brow.

"It's a bar and grill, hello!" Sam shook his head at the woman's thinking, "That means I can go in to eat I just can't drink! That's dad's job anyway, except for the whole not doing that anymore thing! Have I ever thanked you for that?"

"No," Sophie laughed at the boy's comment, "It wasn't me though! He did it for you!"

"Well thanks for helping him," Sam commented as the woman gladly took his elbow and helped him to the table his father was sitting at, "I'm hungry! What are we having?"

"I was thinking a cheeseburger and fries," Nate stated as he stared at the brunette in interest, "Can I help you with something, Soph?"

"I was going to talk to you about something but your son conned me into escorting him to the table," Sophie explained with a smile, "It can wait until later."

"As in not suitable for his young ears?" Nate questioned with an unusual perk to his eyebrows.

"As in something that is only for your ears that you can tell him later if you wish," Sophie shrugged as she tried to make a retreat.

"Stay and have a burger with us," Sam suggested boldly before the brunette could get that far away, "Unless you're a vegetarian, then you can get a veggie burger with us!"

"I think I have to…" Sophie began to explain until a pair of arms wrapped around her waist and shoulder in a very **couple-y** way.

"Hey," the man said from right behind the woman's ear, "What's for dinner?"

"Trevor!" Sophie giggled as she turned around and KISSED YES SHE KISSED HIM, "What are you doing here? I thought we were going to meet at your place."

"We were but then I saw you in the bar and thought I'd surprise you," Trevor, **stupid name**, said with a CHARMING smile, "Who are your friends?"

"Oh," Sophie cried out happily as she turned an embarrassed gaze on the two Fords, "How rude of me! Nate, Sam, this is Trevor, my boyfriend. Trevor, this is Nate and his son Sam."

"Nice to meet you," Trevor commented as he extended his hand to Nate and then Sam.

"Likewise," Nate coughed out in a tone that suggested Trevor would totally be dead right now if the power existed within the man's abilities.

"So," Sam huffed out as his plan was sent crashing to the ground at a million miles per hour, "You're the boyfriend? Funny, I don't remember ever being told about a boyfriend. Do you dad?"

"I…" Nate chuckled humorlessly at his son's remark, "I was going to tell you over dinner."

"Oh," Sam sighed at the news, "I see."

"Well this is… awkward," Sophie hummed out delicately as she noticed the look of disappointment on the younger Ford's face, "We'll take a rain check on that dinner, Sammy! I promise!"

"Yeah," Sam pouted sadly, "Okay!"

"Bye," Sophie called as she and **Trevor** raced out of there without another look back.

"Well that sucks," Sam commented when the couple was definitely not coming back.

"Why?" Nate questioned with a little too much agreement in his eyes, "I'm happy for her."

"Yeah," Sam nodded at his father's lie, "but his teeth are kind of crooked."

"And his hair doesn't seem to want to stay in one spot," Nate agreed with a smile.

"And what kind of a name is Trevor?" Sam bit out bitterly.

"You want to talk about it?" Nate asked softly.

"No," Sam sighed at the fact his plan was on the back burner once again, "Let's just order our burgers! I'm starving and **Trevor** is not going to spoil my last greasy meal for two whole weeks!"

"Agreed," Nate smiled at his son's statement as he waved Cora over and ordered.


	3. Plan C: Get Them on the Same Continent

Plan C:

"She what?" Sam growled at his father angrily.

"She left town for a few months," Nate shrugged at his son's fury, "She needed some time to figure some things out."

"And you just let her walk away?" Sam demanded harshly of his father, "How could you do that?"

"It's not like I had a choice, Sam," Nate shook his head at his son's thoughts. "She needs space. I'm not going to tell her no after everything she's done for me."

"You're an idiot," Sam complained at the top of his lungs, "She's obviously just saying that because you refuse to make a move!"

"I'm going to pretend I didn't her that!" Nate rolled his eyes at his son's claim, "You do realize that Sophie and I don't think of each other like that, right? We're just friends!"

"Whatever," Sam huffed at the news, "I want to go home!"

"You just got here!" Nate hollered at his son's news.

"Yeah, well my plans have been completely eliminated," Sam sighed dramatically in a way that most definitely made his father think of the brunette, "What are we going to do now that our ticket around town is off "**finding herself**" and leaving us to deal with the mess? How's Parker handling this?"

"Parker and the others are handling it just fine," Nate glared at his son for the evil reminder, "You seem to be taking this pretty hard though. You're even taking it a lot harder than Parker."

"No way," Sam stared at his father in shock, "I am not taking this harder than Parker! Take it back!"

"Well, Parker can call her so that's probably why," Nate mused as he seemed to completely lose interest in his son all of a sudden, "How much you want to bet Sophie's phone is completely filled with Parker's pleas to come back and bring a lot of presents?"

"It's Parker," Sam shrugged at the offer, "Can I call Sophie?"

"Why?" Nate posed to his son with that **stupid knowing look of his**.

"I want to hear it for myself," Sam explained simply.

"Alright, but only once," Nate agreed a little too immediately to say the least, "I promised her that we were going to give her space."

"Everybody else got a face to face conversation," Sam pointed out as he gladly took his father's phone and dialed the number he had memorized by heart, "Private conversation here."

"Alright," Nate rolled his eyes, "I'll be in my kitchen."

"You mean Eliot's kitchen," Sam called off as the phone rang.

"Hello?" Sophie sighed into the phone with exhaustion deep in her voice.

"Hi, Sophie," Sam cringed as he tried to calculate what time it was over in Europe, "It's Sam! Were you sleeping? I can call you back if I woke you up!"

"No, Sam, it's fine," Sophie commented into the phone hurriedly, "What can I do for you?"

"Dad says you left," Sam blurted out in a tone that was a little too hysterical even for him.

"No," Sophie breathed into the phone with frustration clearly in her voice now, "I'm taking a break! I did not leave! Is he really…? Let me talk to him!"

"I don't think that's a good idea considering your current position," Sam coughed out as he noticed the look of fear on his father's face at the idea of what could possibly be going on in the phone, "He said you were kind of taking a vacation to find yourself?"

"Yes," Sophie replied with relief in her voice, "That's exactly why I left, thank you! See, I will be back! I just need some time to figure some things out!"

"What kind of things?" Sam questioned with interest for any intel he could use later on.

"I just need to clear my head and figure out if the person I'm becoming is worth it," Sophie answered automatically and he could swear he heard a smile in her voice.

"So you will be back?" Sam demanded just to make sure.

"Yes," Sophie huffed into the phone with a laugh, "I will be back!"

"Good," Sam nodded at the reply, "That's all I need to know! Good night, Sophie!"

"Ditto, Sam," Sophie laughed into the phone.

"Dad says good night too," Sam blurted out as he noticed his father frantically begging him to end the phone call.

"Tell him the same," Sophie giggled, "and tell him that next time he wants to hear from me he could just call me himself instead of making his son do it!"

"Will do," Sam smiled broadly at the woman's announcement before the line went dead.

"So," Nate casually sighed as he inched closer to the phone and his son as if he didn't care, "What did she say?"

"That you need to grow a pair and stop sending me in to do your dirty work," Sam replied with a smile as he skipped to his room to unpack.


	4. Plan D: Wining and Quite Possibly Dying

Plan D:

"You have got to be kidding me!" Sophie screamed at the man in complete frazzled bewilderment, "He poured red wine all over my yellow chiffon dress!"

"It was an accident, Soph," Nate apologized sternly, "Come on!"

"It was not an accident and you know it, Nathan Ford!" Sophie screeched out hysterically, "I am never going to be able to get another one even remotely like this!"

"Ooh," Parker commented from safely inside the closet with the others, "She used his full name!"

"Yep," Hardison grimaced at the fight before his eyes, "Little man is in a lot of trouble!"

"Do you think I should step in and stop her from killing him?" Eliot asked with concern.

"Are you kidding me?" Sam huffed at his father's best friend with wide eyes, "That's suicide."

"He's taking it for you, kid!" Eliot shook his head at the boy's thoughts.

"I'll buy you a pair of shoes as payment," Nate shrugged in response.

"Make him buy me a new pair of shoes!" Sophie shouted at the cowering man frantically, "He's the one who did it and Maggie is always encouraging you to help her teach him responsibility!"

"Sophie, he's a kid," Nate commented in a low growl, "How is he going to come up with the three thousand dollars your shoes cost?"

"He doesn't have to buy me a three thousand dollar pair of shoes, Nate!" Sophie huffed out angrily, "It's the fact that he tries that's my point!"

"She's got a point you know," Hardison pointed out to the crowd as quietly as possible.

"Don't say that to Sophie or Nate will kill us," Parker ordered her friend with worry.

"He won't kill us," Sam sighed at the statement, "I think!"

"You don't get to dictate how he's being raised, Soph!" Nate shouted at the grifter angrily, "He's my kid and I'll raise him how I see fit!"

"Oh just because your father smacked you around a couple of times does not mean you should be lenient towards your kid!" Sophie spit out viciously, "You're not a vindictive bastard when it comes to your child!"

"Woa!" Eliot sneered at that, "She just switched the conversation!"

"Nate's gonna die," Hardison concluded sadly.

"It was nice knowing him," Parker agreed with a look of glee starting to form on her face.

"Should I go in there and rescue him?" Sam questioned the group with concern now.

"NO!" was his immediate and frantic answer as they pulled him away from the door just in case.

"Well, what do you want me to do then?" Nate demanded angrily, "I already grounded him for his entire stay here! Do you want me to send him back too? I'm sure Maggie would love to hear that after she made plans to go to San Francisco with her boyfriend this week!"

"Don't you blame me for this!" Sophie huffed out angrily, "He's the one who ruined my dress, and you're the one who just sat there and watched! You didn't even try to stop him, Nate! You know how much I loved this dress! I actually wore this twice!"

"It was an…" Nate began to repeat.

"Don't you dare say it was an accident!" Sophie snapped with narrowed eyes, "He was very clearly trying to ruin my dress!"

"Maybe he was trying to actually pour you a glass of wine!" Nate pointed out slowly, "You've been teaching him courtesy for months now! He was trying to show off what he learned!"

"Is that why he made you pull out the chair for me?" Sophie tilted her head in confusion.

"That's why he made Hardison do it for Parker too," Nate nodded as he realized he was starting to win the battle.

"Then why did he insist that I sit next to you for dinner?" Sophie demanded in confusion, "It just doesn't make any sense! He wasn't even supposed to be pouring the wine! I never taught him how to do that!"

"He was reading ahead in the manners book you gave him for Christmas," Nate shrugged with a smile starting to form on his lips.

"Don't smile!" Sophie ordered waspishly, "You have absolutely no right to smile, Nathan Ford!"

"I can't help it," Nate smiled wider at the grifter's sense of peril, "I'll buy you a new dress, Soph. How about that?"

"Fine but he has to go shopping with us!" Sophie barked out still very clearly trying to hold onto her rage.

"Yep, suitable punishment," Nate nodded at the woman's command, "Can they leave the safety of the closet now?"

"We're not in the closet," Parker barked out indignantly, "Besides it was just to protect Sam; we weren't spying or anything!"

"Parker!" the boys growled out angrily.

"What?" Parker gasped at the news.

"I can't believe I hang out with you people," Sam rolled his eyes in preparation for the next round of fights.


	5. Plan E: Tripping an Elegant Grifter

Plan E: Tripping

Sam smiled as he noticed the grifter, because apparently his dad was a thief for the good guys and he was old enough to know that now and they were all thieves, anyway Sam noticed the grifter was slowly moving towards him. His father was sitting on the stool next to him. The boy didn't even think about his actions. He just lightly stuck his foot out just as the grifter was passing him.

"Woa!" Sophie called out as she immediately fell towards the mastermind.

"I got ya," Nate promised as he grabbed a hold of the grifter in a panic that she might get hurt, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," Sophie giggled out breathily as she and Nate shared a look that had never been there before, "I tripped."

"Sorry," Sam sputtered out sadly, "I went to cross my legs and you came by just as I did it."

"It's alright," Sophie smiled gently at the young Ford before she carefully brushed herself off and shook her gaze away from the mastermind, "Accidents happen."

"Just be more careful next time," Nate ordered his son sternly as his face tried to get rid of the_ I just saw an angel_ look.

"Yep," Sam agreed as his newest plan finally took route and a crooked grin began to appear.

And that was the birth of Plan E.

Plan E was a very extensive plan that merely required two things and two things only: Sophie Devereaux tripping into Nathan Ford's awaiting arms. Now, Sam was an obviously intelligent boy for he knew how difficult a challenge this could be. Therefore, he had to be very sneaky.

In Peru, Sophie "fell" over his perfectly in her way suitcase positioned at the perfect angle for her to magically end up in Nathan Ford's arms.

At the British Museum, Sophie was pushed into Nate's arms when Sam "accidentally" slid onto the bench beside her a little too hard.

Paris happened to have very bumpy streets. We'll say Parker was driving. (Okay, so she was teaching Sam.)

Sydney had a bumpy boat.

New York City was always bustling with traffic.

L. A. had an Earthquake scare. "It was a tremor, to be technical. Why didn't you feel it?"

Chicago on Halloween plus a house of horrors, including spiders (They're Sophie's worst fear.) equals Nate retracting her from his lap.

They just weren't getting the hint.


	6. Plan F: The Final Con

Sam's next plan beat him to the punch:

Nate and Sophie had been preparing the apartment for the teenager's return the way they handled everything these days. They argued, flirted, argued, pretended they weren't thinking about kissing each other, and argued some more. Then the atmosphere suddenly changed. Well…

"Ahh!" Sophie cried out as her foot snagged the rug and she started tumbling down.

"I got ya," Nate called out as he jumped to catch the grifter before she fell on the floor, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Sophie replied as she stared at the mastermind with very bright eyes, "You caught me."

"Yeah," Nate agreed with a smile, "I have a thing with you falling to your doom apparently!"

"This isn't the first time you went out of your way to make certain I didn't hit my head," Sophie commented as the two continued to stare at each other in their weird position.

"Well, last time you had a bullet in you," Nate laughed shakily at the reminder, "I figured you would be happier with less pain."

"Well that's very thoughtful of you," Sophie nodded at the unusual banter going around, "Are you going to help me up?"

"Oh… yeah," Nate grinned foolishly at his delay and promptly helped the grifter to her feet as if nothing had happened.

"Thanks," Sophie giggled as she started to turn away only to fall right back into the mastermind's arms, "Seriously?"

"Your foot's still caught in the rug," Nate pointed out without taking his eyes away from the grifter's.

"Oh," Sophie nodded in understanding as she stared at her foot in dismay of the fact that she didn't even notice it before.

"I'll get it," Nate offered as he bent down and carefully unwrapped the foot from the tight fabric.

"Thanks," Sophie huffed out with a husky air starting to drip into her voice.

"No problem," Nate smiled as he caught sight of her eyes again.

"I've been very clumsy lately," Sophie observed to keep her mind off of Nathan Ford's lips.

"You do realize that Sam has been tripping you on purpose, right?" Nate coughed out as his eyes flickered to the grifter's lips for the fifth time since their conversation began.

"I think he has it in his mind that we belong together or something," Sophie remarked with a soft smile of amusement and something else, something new.

"Or something," Nate agreed as he suddenly became very distracted by the new glint shimmering in the grifter's eyes.

"I should probably be going," Sophie explained with a quick shake of her head.

"Sam's plane doesn't land for another couple of hours," Nate stated the fact breathily as his eyes darted to the grifter's lips yet again.

"I have no idea what you mean by that," Sophie shook her head at the mastermind's comment in obvious denial of his intentions.

"I'm saying that you don't have to leave right this minute," Nate smiled at the grifter's hesitance, "You could stay awhile."

"What about Sam?" Sophie asked with one eyebrow arched at the insinuation.

"He may be slightly disturbed by the image," Nate joked boldly, "I mean not many teenagers enjoy walking in on their father making out with his best friend."

"Making out huh?" Sophie demanded with a smile starting to return to her lips.

"Well if you want to do other things I can suggest many other times where that would be more than acceptable…" Nate began to say before the grifter's fingers were pressed against his lips in warning.

"I suggest you make your move before I decide I'm through waiting…" Sophie started out with a cunning grin before somebody's lips decided to end her statement immediately.

Sam smiled happily to himself. His mom had given him permission to skip school so he could take an earlier flight to visit his father. He had the best plan ever on mind. He was going to order Chinese food and invite Sophie over for dinner. Then, he was going to tell his father he was going out to hang out with Hardison and only just now remembered that Eliot had already agreed to make dinner. The young teen quickly made his way to his father's apartment, and turned the doorknob.

"Hey Dad I was… oh!" Sam stared at his father in complete shock as he realized there was a very familiar brunette nestled in his arms, "Hi Sophie!"

"Hi Sam," Sophie smiled in embarrassment as she and his father tried to make it look like the teenager did not just walk in on them making out, "You're here early!"

"I got an earlier flight," Sam acknowledge with a smile trying not to envelope his lips, "What's your excuse?"

"I'm thinking," Sophie replied sheepishly as she slowly became aware of the fact that the older Ford's hands were still firmly planted on her waist and refusing to leave.

"How's school?" Nate questioned of his son as he made a big point of pulling the grifter closer to him to show his ideas about her.

"Totally worth skipping to catch you guys finally getting a clue," Sam admitted as he couldn't hold the laughter anymore.

"Excuse me?" Sophie demanded of the teenager in embarrassed anger.

"I've been trying to get you two together for years and you finally decided to do it yourselves," Sam pointed out with smirk.

"That's just not fair," Sophie hissed at Nate immediately, "How am I supposed to yell at that?"

"He has a point," Nate laughed at his son's brilliance.

"Oh so now you're taking his side?" Sophie shouted in complete hysterics at her current situation.

"Hey I have no problem if you guys want me to leave the two of you alone for a while," Sam shrugged in response, "I'm trying to get Parker and Hardison together now anyway!"

"See," Sophie pointed towards the young Ford, "You've created a monster."

"You taught him how to manipulate people," Nate pointed out with a smile.

"But you're the one who taught him most of it!" Sophie growled out before the mastermind's lips shut her up.

"Gross," Sam cringed at his father's move, "I'm leaving now! I don't need the rest of this image in my head!"

Sam Ford left the couple with a grin as he decided to buy himself some candy and a couple videogames while his father and favorite grifter got acquainted again. Then he was going to force them to sit down and watch movies with him as a form of blackmail! yep, Sam Ford had the best life ever!


End file.
